We met at the park, boarded buses and were taken to the gangway.
The excited crew shuffled us along as we checked in and were taken to our room.
Racquel, our lovely housekeeper, gave us our tour. We had a Deluxe Suite, and boy, was it fabulous! We had plenty of space, a balcony, a great bathroom and even a walk-in closet (this came in handy as our dressing room!).
After having them split our bed into two twins rather than a queen ("...es mi hermano" "OH! *giggle, giggle, nod*), we set out to the bar to meet our travel mates. We had a staff introduction, a welcome drink, a safety drill, and then we set sail. Ben and I gathered on the back deck to watch as we cast off from the pier and headed into the Beagle Channel. Ushuaia looked even more amazing from the water, and as we moved further away, more and more mountains came into view making the picture more and more grand!
We all gathered in the dining room for our first meal on board before having a "parka party" to be fitted for our foul weather gear. During the "party" it was announced that the forecast for the Drake was in and it would not be smooth sailing. They warned us to take drugs and head to bed if we were wary of motion sickness. And just like that, it looked like the "sick-bag fairy" had paid a visit to the ship. As we left the lounge, every surface of the boat was covered in "sick bags". They were tucked over handrails, behind paintings, on counters - you couldn't reach in any direction without being able to grab one if you needed it.
This was not a good sign of things to come! Ben and I made sure our patches were securely in place and went back to our cabins to "drake-proof". We stuffed towels in every crevice to hold things in place and made sure nothing could move. By this point, I realized the patch would not be enough for me, so I popped some pills as well. That was all it took - I was out!
I woke up throughout the night when the rocking of the boat was enough to rock my covers off of me, and watched waves crash over our 5th floor balcony! It was pretty amazing. The next day, Ben enjoyed lectures of everything Antarctica (penguins, history, geology, birds, seals, whales...even one called "The Wonderful World of Krill"), and I slept. I woke up for meals and mandatory meetings, and then I crawled back into my cocoon and rocked back to sleep.
By the afternoon, it was actually sunny and beautiful. I sat out on our balcony for a bit and we enjoyed a barbeque out on deck. We placed bets on when the first iceburg would be spotted and got more and more anxious for our arrival in Antarctica.
The kayakers met and got aquianted with our gear (and quickly became the envy of everyone else on board), and excitement mounted.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
23 hours ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
1 day ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
2 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week
Linda Cummings
3 days ago
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!